-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- While the horrors inflicted by the Nazis during World War II are well documented , `` Defiance '' director Edward Zwick wanted to make sure the stories of those who fought back are n't overlooked .

Liev Schreiber , left , and Daniel Craig play freedom fighters in `` Defiance . ''

`` There is this misperception that the Jews only went willingly to the slaughter , '' Zwick said . `` And in fact , the new history and scholarship tells us that there was so much resistance . This is just one instance . ''

His new film , which goes into wide release Friday , tells the tale of the three Bielski brothers , who led a Jewish resistance group after escaping into the woods of Belarus in Eastern Europe .

The movie stars Daniel Craig -- best known for his work as the latest James Bond -- Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell as the trio who took up arms against the Nazis and helped save the lives of more than 1,000 Jewish refugees fleeing occupied Poland .

Portraying a slice of Jewish history was somewhat familiar territory for Craig , who plays brother Tuvia Bielski in the movie . He also co-starred as an Israeli agent in Steven Spielberg 's `` Munich , '' the dramatization of the murder of 11 athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympics . Craig said the characters ' religion had nothing to do with his interest ; both roles were just fascinating parts that attracted him .

`` I think someone said , ` You did something similar to that in ` Munich , ' '' he recalled . `` I said , well it 's kind of not . It 's a different period in history and I do n't think religion is something that should hold me back . '' Watch Craig talk about the movie 's power ''

Schreiber , who is Jewish , said bringing the story of the heroic yet complex brothers to the big screen gave him `` a sense of pride '' and he found inspiration in their bravery .

`` It was in these guys ' DNA , '' said Schreiber , who plays Zus Bielski . `` But I also think that it is in our DNA as human beings ... that courage exists , that passion exists , that tenacity to love exists . It 's just that we do n't experience the kinds of tests nowadays that they did in the 1930s in Eastern Europe -- particularly if you were Jewish . ''

Filming in Lithuania just across the border from Belarus added an element of realism to the role , Schreiber said .

`` We shot in the woods in the middle of winter , but I think as an actor you 're always grateful of these little reminders of where you are and what you 're doing , especially when you 're doing something on film when it 's so naturalistic , '' he said . `` When your hands are frozen and you can barely load a machine gun then you know you 're on to something with the character . ''

Jamie Bell , best known for playing the title role in `` Billy Elliot , '' rounds out the cast as younger brother Asael Bielski . He said the bleak setting helped him understand `` the minutiae of what these people actually went through . ''

Bell had considered himself pretty knowledgeable about the Holocaust and World War II before learning about the project . `` But when I read the script I felt kind of embarrassed that I did n't know about the Bielski brothers and about the Jewish resistance across the board , '' he said .

Heralding the triumph of the Bielski brothers to those who are unaware is just what director Zwick had in mind . He also had a hand in writing the `` Defiance '' screenplay and is no stranger to heroes in history , having directed the critically acclaimed `` Glory . '' With this new film , Zwick said he found inspiration in the courage displayed by the Bielskis , who were fighting against incredible odds .

`` You know , that 's what 's beautiful about their story , '' he said . `` They were unprepared . They were unsophisticated ; nothing they had ever done would have led one to expect that they were capable of this . I think that speaks to all of us : what we are able to find within us that is fine , even magnificent within ourselves when called upon . ''

CNN 's Matt Carey contributed to this story .

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`` Defiance '' is about three brothers who helped rescue Jews during WWII

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Star Liev Schreiber : Courage `` was in these guys ' DNA ''

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Movie has wide release Friday